instruct this year’s Quilting in the Mountains Festival. The event includes workshops, quilt shows, a trunk show and merchant mall.
Kathy K. Wylie’s journey with quilting began in 1994 when she was asked to join a friend at a quilting class. Unbeknownst to her at the time, this evening of learning would build up to a distinguished quilting career.
The quilting class came at a significant time in her life; Wylie had made the decision to focus on family, not her career.
“I left IBM to stay home and raise my family; (my boys) were ages three and one,” Wylie explained.
At the time, Wylie thought quilting would provide her with a hobby but she was immediately hooked, and was soon teaching and working at a quilting store.
“As (my children) grew, so too did my quilting hobby grow into a business,” Wylie added.
In 2002 she began showing her quilts and she took third place in her first international quilt competition. From there Wylie has become an accomplished quilting teacher, designer, author and public speaker. She’s won awards and praise from the American Quilters Society and the International Quilt Association.
She’s best known for her appliqué technique and contemporary style, which will be on display at Sun Peaks’ Quilting in the Mountains from July 19 to 23, when she appears as chief instructor.
Wylie said that inspiration to create her works of art occurs in everyday life.
“Inspiration is everywhere and one idea leads to another,” Wylie said. “A number of my quilts have been inspired by verses or passages in the Bible . . . I will bring it home and let it guide me into what it wants to be.”
Wylie has two studios at her home in which she creates her quilts. She designs them using her computer, pencil and paper, as well as a design wall. Her quilts can take her from two weeks to two years depending on their size and technicality.
Wylie, an Ontario native, has never visited the Sun Peaks area, but does have a local connection. A replica of her quilt “Instruments of Praise” which now resides in the U.S. National Quilt Museum, was stitched by Royal Inland Hospital Auxiliary Quilters (RIHAQ).
“Last summer, I approached Victoria Gray of Heffley Creek about the possibility of her quilting group, RIHAQ, helping me out with the hand appliqué work (on ‘Instruments of Praise’),” explained Wylie. “The RIHAQ completed all the stitching by December 2012.”
Wylie is looking forward to meeting the members of the RIHAQ during Quilting in the Mountains, and expects the mountains will provide her some impressive creative inspiration.
“I studied for a year at Trinity Western University in Langley, B.C. and I could see the mountains from my dorm room window,” she said. “The first time I drove through the mountains, I was moved to tears — their majesty and grandeur was overwhelming. Quilting and mountains seem like a wonderful and inspirational combination to me!”
Wylie welcomes Sun Peaks’ locals and guests to attend this year’s quilting weekend, especially those who are new to quilting.
“There are so many different techniques that can be chosen to suit an individual’s preferences and abilities,” she said. “I’d say that eyesight and the ability to use one’s hands are necessary, but I’ve seen quilters overcome even those obstacles.”
Find out more about Kathy K. Wylie here, or visit Sun Peaks Resort for more on Quilting in the Mountains.
What did you think of this story?
Your feedback after we publish a story helps ensure we're always improving our reporting to better serve you.
